Sheetrock scaffolding

ABSTRACT

A sheetrock scaffolding is in the form of an elongated member having a brace at one extremity of the same to which a pair of clamp means are pivotally mounted. The clamps means are adapted to mount the scaffolding on studs on a wall framing and will permit pivoting of the scaffolding with a piece of sheetrock thereon to an elevated position so that it may be held and secured to the ceiling.

1 Feb. 15,1972

United States Patent Zizak .214/1 SW lraids ....269/53 X Stetson....................................269/53 [54] SHEETROCK SCAFFOLDING 3,143,219 2815777 [72] Inventor: Joseph P. Z|zak 579l-2 Street, N.E.,

Minneapolis, Minn. 55421 949996 2/1910 Mar. 16,1970

Primary ExaminerTheron E. Condon Assistant Examiner-Neil Abrams [22] Filed:

AtwrneySchroeder, Siegfried & Ryan Appl. No.:

[57] ABSTRACT A sheetrock scaffolding is in the form of an elongated member having a brace at one extremity of the same to which a pair of clamp means are pivotally mounted. The clamps means are m M i m d mm IF m G 5 5 1 l [52] US. Cl.

References cued adapted to mount the scaffolding on studs on a wall framing UNITED STATES PATENTS and will permit pivoting of the scaffolding with a piece of sheetrock thereon to an elevated position so that it may be Stanley................................214/1 SW held and Secured to the ili 1,468,110 9/1923 H0we.................................248/229 X 3,047,165 7/1962 Hutchinson...............,.........214/1 SW 4Claims, 1 Drawing Figure SHEETROCK SCAFFOLDING My invention relates to scaffolding for the handling of building materials and more particularly to an improved scaffolding for the handling of sheetrock in the application of the same to ceilings of rooms.

In the construction of buildings, the application of building materials, such as sheetrock, to supporting frames presents a problem because of the physical size and weight of such materials. This is particularly true in connection with the application of sheetrock to ceilings or ceiling framing. Such work normally requires the presence of more than one carpenter to lift and hold the building material while the same is applied to the ceiling framing through nailing or other securing arrangements. Such materials are normally applied to building framing or room framing, normally of the wood type, as an initial step in completing the enclosure. At such time the walls as well as the ceiling will be defined only by framing to support the building material.

The present invention is directed to a sheetrock scaffolding which will enable a single carpenter to handle, elevate, and hold sheets of sheetrock building material as the same is applied to a ceiling framing. The improved scaffolding includes an elongated support member having a brace which may be attached to the wall studding and pivoted thereon such that a piece of sheetrock may be positioned on the scaffolding and the unpivoted extremity elevated to raise the sheetrock to a ceiling location where it will be held in position by a leg brace enabling the carpenter to nail or otherwise secure the same accurately to the ceiling framing.

It is therefore the object of this invention to provide an improved sheetrock scaffolding.

Another object of this invention is to provide a sheetrock scaffolding enabling a single worker to apply the sheetrock to ceilings.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved sheetrock scaffolding which may be readily attached to wall framing having stud spacings of varying dimensions.

A further object of this invention is to provide a sheetrock scaffolding which is adjustable for handling varying sizes of sheets of this building material.

Another object of this invention is to provide a simplified scaffolding relatively low in cost and easy to use.

These and other objects of this invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached description together with the drawing which shows a perspective view of my improved sheetrock scaffolding.

My improved sheetrock scaffolding is shown in the drawing generally at 10. It employs an elongated member 12 having a transversely extending brace member 14 positioned on and attached to one extremity of the same. The scaffolding may be made of varying materials and I have found that rectangular or square aluminum tubing is satisfactory for this purpose. It may, however, be formed of a wood material. The elongated member may be made adjustable in length by telescopically fitting an extension part, indicated generally at 20, into the part 12 and incorporating a suitable clamping means such as a clamping screw indicated at 24 therebetween to hold the parts in adjusted relationship, The transversely extending brace member 14 may be welded or secured by screws to the elongated member and suitable stud bracing, such as is indicated at 25, 26, will be applied between the ends of the cross bracing member 14 and the elongated member remote from the extremity of the same to be secured thereto by suitable means such as screws.

The transversely extending brace member 14 has positioned thereon a pair of spaced slidable flange structures indicated generally at 30 and 31. The flange structures are tubular in form having the same shape as the cross section of the brace member 14 and slightly larger than the brace member to fit over the same and slide thereon. A screw position through a tapped aperture in the flange structure secures the flange structures on the brace member 14. The flange structure has a hinge 35 attached thereto, such as by welding, in the opposite extremity on the side opposite the screw 33 and facing away from the elongated member for the purpose of pivotally mounting clamping structures 40 thereon. The clamping structure is formed by a U-shaped member 40 which is attached to the opposite side of the hinge at the center of the U- shaped member, such as by welding, such that the clamping structure will be pivotally mounted on the flange structure. This U-shaped clamping member or structure defines a bifurcated structure with a pair of aligned apertures (not shown) in the same receiving a threaded bolt 44. The bolt having collars 45 at one end which is positioned on either side of one of the bifurcated sides of the clamp to hold the end of the bolt in said side and permit rotational movement therein. The other side of the clamp has a nut 47 welded thereto at the aperture and the bolt is threaded therein to move the sides of the clamp toward and away from one another with rotation of the bolt. The end of a bolt includes a handgrip 46 by means of which the bolt may be rotated to adjust the clamp. The free extremities of the clamp have a toothed surface, such as is indicated at 50, for the purpose of gripping the studs in a wall structure to secure the same thereto.

The elongated member 20 has attached thereto a brace member 60 of the same size, shape, and material as the telescopic parts 12 and 20. It is connected to the portion 20 of the elongated member by means of a hinge 62 which permits pivoting of the brace 60 from a position normal to the extent of the elongated member to a position parallel and adjacent thereto. This brace may also include a telescopic part 62 with a suitable securing means 64 to adjust the length of the same. Thus the scaffolding is adjustable in length with respect to the elongated members 12 and 20 and in the length of the floor bracing 60. The cross brace member mounts the supporting flange structures for the clamps, which flange structures are adjustable relative to one another to vary the spacing therebetween.

Under normal circumstances, present day construction methods require that wall struts be spaced a predetermined distance apart on center. These may vary from l2, l6, to 24 inches in spacing. The improved sheetrock scaffolding employs a cross brace member which will be of a length to accommodate this spacing distance. For example, the cross brace could be slightly larger than 48 inches or 24 inches in length with the flange structures 30, 31 slidably mounted thereon along the extent of the same and adjustable to compensate for any variation in spacing on stud walls. The brace would be applied to the stud wall near the upper sill by positioning the bifurcated portion of the clamp structure around the respective studs and clamping the same thereto. In this position the scaffolding is held at the brace extremity against a wall and will permit pivoting of the same to a position parallel with the ceiling framing. By allowing the elongated member to rest on the floor, a piece of sheetrock indicated by the fragments may be slid into place on the scaffolding by a single person and the same elevated by raising the free extremity of the same pivoting the cross brace to a substantially normal position to ensure that it will hold the elongated portion of the scaffolding in an elevated position parallel with the brace end of the same. This will allow the piece of sheetrock to be sup ported at three points and leave the user free to adjust the position of the sheetrock on the ceiling framing and to nail or otherwise secure the same thereon. By making the leg portion adjustable, rooms with varying ceiling heights may be accommodated. The improved sheetrock scaffolding permits a single carpenter to install sheetrock on ceilings where heretofore such installation required at least the presence of two persons.

In considering this invention it should be remembered that the present disclosure is illustrative only and the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A sheetrock scaffolding comprising, a single elongated member having a single transversely extending brace member on the extremity of the same and secured thereto, a pair of spaced flange structures mounted on the transversely extending brace member, said elongated member being formed of pivotally mounted on the spaced flange structures and adapted to clamp the scaffolding to upright wall studs, said pair of spaced flange structures being siidably mounted on the transversely extending brace member with securing means therein and adapted to be adjustably positioned relative to one another, and an elongated leg brace member including a pair of parts movable relative to one another to adjust the length of the same and pivotally connected to the elongated member near the other extremity of the same and adapted to be pivoted from a position of alignment therewith to a position normal thereto, said transversely extending brace member being secured at its midpoint to said one extremity of the elongated member and including support strut members connected between the ends of the transversely extending brace member and the elongated member remote from said one extremity, the length dimension of the transversely extending brace member being a multiple of the standard spacing between studs in wall construction.

2. The sheetrock scaffolding of claim 1 in which the clamp means includes bifurcated members pivotally mounted respectively on the pair of spaced flange structures for pivotal movement thereon with tensioning means extending between the bifurcated portions to alter the relative position of the same in a clamping operation.

3. The sheetrock scaffolding of claim 2 in which the bifurcated portions of the clamp means have inwardly projecting tooth gripping surfaces.

4. The sheetrock scafiolding of claim 3 in which the elongated member and the leg brace member are made of telescopic parts of tubular aluminum having a square cross section and with securing means connecting the telescopic parts of said members. 

1. A sheetrock scaffolding comprising, a single elongated member having a single transversely extending brace member on the extremity of the same and secured thereto, a pair of spaced flange structures mounted on the transversely extending brace member, said elongated member being formed of telescopic parts to adjust the length of the same, clamp means pivotally mounted on the spaced flange structures and adapted to clamp the scaffolding to upright wall studs, said pair of spaced flange structures being slidably mounted on the transversely extending brace member with securing means therein and adapted to be adjustably positioned relative to one another, and an elongated leg brace member including a pair of parts movable relative to one another to adjust the length of the same and pivotally connected to the elongated member near the other extremity of the same and adapted to be pivoted from a position of alignment therewith to a position normal thereto, said transversely extending brace member being secured at its midpoint to said one extremity of the elongated member and including support strut members connected between the ends of the transversely extending brace member and the elongated member remote from said one extremity, the length dimension of the transversely extending brace member being a multiple of the standard spacing between studs in wall construction.
 2. The sheetrock scaffolding of claim 1 in which the clamp means includes bifurcated members pivotally mounted respectively on the pair of spaced flange structures for pivotal movement thereon with tensioning means extending between the bifurcated portions to alter the relative position of the same in a clamping operation.
 3. The sheetrock scaffolding of claim 2 in which the bifurcated portions of the clamp means have inwardly projecting tooth gripping surfaces.
 4. The sheetrock scaffolding of claim 3 in which the elongated member and the leg brace member are made of telescopic parts of tubular aluminum having a square cross section and with securing means connecting the telescopic parts of said members. 